June 6th, The 67 Finally Goes to Metropolis International.

Airport Ridge, BR. May 29th, 2016.

New Metropolis Transit Maps Now Show the 67 Trolley Extension Through MPO Airport. 

Metropolis Transit is proud to announce an opening day for it's heavily anticipated 67 Trolley extension to Metropolis International Airport. June 4th, will mark the first Trolley extension since 1984's Broadway Trolley Subway. All extensions between 1984 and now were more aimed at the growing Elevated Subway system in Metropolis, however instead of building an elevated subway route along the busy Corlesen Avenue, Metropolis Transit spent 6 years upgrading the 67 from Streetcar to light rail as will as building a new extension to the Airport. Since 1922 when the 67 Line first open as the Corlesen Ave Trolley, there were plans to expand the trolley line into the Former Butler Air Force Base. World War II almost saw this extension happen until metal productions was redirected to war efforts so for year the trolley line ended just east of the Air Force Base's entrance. In 1965, Metropolis City Consul agreed on turning Butler AFB into Metropolis International Airport and approved $3 Million dollars to run a subway line from Woodland Avenue. This plan was canned in 1971 due to The Heroin Binge of the early 1970s.

Current 67 Schedule. 

The 67 Trolley will finally be extended into Metropolis Int'l Airport at 6AM, June 6th, 2016 via a new elevated viaduct and new station within the airport. Unlike most trolley lines, the viaduct limits the stations that can be put on the line so trolley only stop at 51st-Ridge, Avis-Hertz, Parking Lot P3 & P4, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and the Airport Transit Center where it connects to Bridgerissa Commuter Railway's Airport Expressway Line. Unlike most trolley lines, a pocket track is in place after Terminal 3 which will provide Short-Turn serviced during the Peak within the Airport doubling the potential service. Double-ended trolleys help make this move possible unlike the older single ended trolley who need to loop around at stations like Airport Transit Ctr. or 49th-Corlesen. The opening is expected to be heavily attended.

Trees Avenue Subway & The New Boga Island Bridge Moving Along

Metropolis, BR. May 1th 2016.

A Train tests the Clearance The Trees Ave Subway.

Hard to believe the Trees Avenue Subway construction has reached 3 years old since the first pile was driven into the ground. The tunnel were dug in the controversial cut-and-cover method which lead to reroute of cars, buses and trolleys along Midtown Metropolis's second busiest street. At Central Station, the former Amtrak coach yard was hollowed out and the new subway platforms were constructed. The platforms at Interfair and Blue Beach have been done for a while and now getting their fixtures while the ramps to the 22 Line & future new Bay Bridge for the 26 have been completed. The bridging over the bay waters and south shores of Boga Island are also completed with station shells already being erected. The wire poles are being shipped to the bay bridge construction site while MT tests the electricity inside the main Trees Avenue Subway Tunnel. Clearance trains have already penetrated the tracks of the tunnel 3 times with no issues other than dealing with diesel fumes that can not escape. Metropolis Transit is expected to ban diesel trains from the tunnel after the clearance trains have finished their job.

New Elevated Rails over the South Shore of Boga Island

The Boga Island Bay Bridge Upgrade and the new elevated track over the South Shore of Boga Island will speed up service on the 26 line 2%. A small but noticeable percentage since trains are no longer on the surface at risk of hitting a beach-goer. The current 26 "Elevated" Line runs completely on rebuilt trolley tracks who originally date back from the 1920s. While it was easier to run a trolley along the beach side, a full blown Elevated Train cannot stop on a dime like the trolleys did so many people have been killed or injured by the 26 train since it conversion from trolley in 1986. The section between Lizzy's Shops & Boga Beach Hotels was the most notorious. Train now must run at 20 MPH and blow their horn every 100 feet. While this method did help reduce the amount of train related accidents to almost none, it didn't help the line for it's second threat, hurricane surge. Sandy almost ate the 26 when it hit in October, 2012. The South Shore Elevated will now take tracks away from storm surge and potential ice hazards in the winter from ocean spray. The South Shore Elevated will open BEFORE the new Bay Bridge and Trees Avenue Subway, most likely around December of this year.

Interfair Convention Center Station on the Trees Ave Subway in May 2016.

Construction on the actual Trees Avenue Subway is also building up. The 22 & 26 line will benefit from a new structurally sound cut and cover tunnel under Trees Avenue taking them directly into the heart of Metropolis. With Central Station being in the Central Business District and Interfair Convention Center Station being in heart of Midtown Metropolis, this subway line is going to see high ridership from locals and tourist alike. Aside from the fact the 22 will actually go somewhere now, this now opens the door for more business growth to both the city and Boga Island. The tunnels were inspected as of April 27th, 2016 by the city and deem structurally sound to run train traffic. Since then, 3 clearance trains have used the line and all came back with positive feedback. The testing phase is set to being in October 2016, first with slow-speed signal tests, then with normal passenger service patterns. Metropolis Transit hopes to have the subway tunnel in service by New Year's Day 2018 thus relieving the 65 Line of it's heavy passenger traffic.

Official: Jazz Terminal to Be Renamed Catrina Scott-30th After Deceased Contributor

West Metropolis, BR. August 29th 2015

The West Side Terminal Will Be Renamed After Late Metropolis Transit Contributor Catrina A. Scott (1993-2015).

For the longest, the name Jazz Terminal seem to fit the small but emasculate terminal on Metropolis's Westside for ages. Built in 1918 by the Bridgerissa, Edison & Metropolis Interurban Railway, the station was originally called West Metropolis Terminal. It wasn't until the 1940s when jazz music took control of the city's predominately African-American westside did it become an attractive idea to rename the station Jazz Terminal. Following the 1967 fall of the BE&M Rwy to the Corlesen Lines takeover and the 1976 merger into Metropolis Transit, jazz music died out on the westside  as more people of different heritages began to settle there. Since 2014, Metropolis Transit has been thinking up new names for the old train station which now houses the S2 Hi-Speed Line to The Airport & Earlwess. Following the tragic passing of a MT contributor, it was decided the station will be named in her in her respects.

Name Change Already Has Hit Maps.

 The new name, Catrina Scott-30th Terminal, will better help people pinpoint the station as well as add to the uniqueness of such a name. The S2 & 3 trolleys will have new signs made for them in time for the official name change on September 10th 2015. Metropolis Transit chose this date because it was the same day the namesake's birthday. Maps have already printed the new name as well as reference to the former name. Metropolis Transit will continue to reference the older name until the public "gets a hang" of the new one. Over the next few weeks, signs at the Former Jazz Terminal will have the newer name plaster over it as well as the automated platform announcements. The renaming celebration will take place at 10 AM with a "Recoding" ceremony. GM Nicholette Casey will type in the code of the new station name into a S2 trolley during the event as sign of change in the system. Metropolis Transit also said they will run extra train service during the 10th to commemorate the day though trolleys will be split from two cars to only one.

Catrina Scott was longtime contributor to Metropolis Transit and helped with the restructuring of the current transit system. She was still with Metropolis Transit when on August 14th 2015 she was tragically murdered at the age of 21. The renaming of Jazz Terminal will help bring light to her honor especially since she was the person to come up with renaming the terminal. Originally to be renamed Westside Interurban Terminal, her life was cut short before her suggested name had a chance to be approved. The current name change in her honor was recommended by GM Nicholette Casey herself who was close friend to Ms. Scott. She will now always be remembered in the City of Metropolis with this major name change taking place. 

B.DoT Wants 3 of the 4 Trolley Crossings Removed Off N Line

Katelinn Neighborhood. Metropolis, BR

The N Trolley soon may go over Savanna St instead of crossing it at level.

Today, Nicholette Casey (president of Metropolis Transit), Felix Dorado (V.P. of B.DoT) & Mayor Simon Casey sat down at City Hall today to discuss the 2016-2017 Budget and Plans. A rather interesting issue was brought up that had the attention of both Metropolis Transit & the city. The number of street crossing accidents along the N Trolley has risen and very soon in 2018 a new rail link to Downtown Metropolis from Boga Island is suppose to cross the busy Ocean Avenue in order to get into the tunnel. This means the game has changed in terms of goals. Now faced with heavy recommendations from B.DoT has laid out, Metropolis Transit might consider two options. One option is adding bridges and tunnels along the N trolley line to improve speed, service, & safety. Three S's the public want to hear. Another is rebuilding Blue Beach station into an open trench to go under Ocean Avenue. This would removed a crossing that hasn't even seen one train yet. Both options would vastly improve service but would cost millions to undertake.

Blue Beach Lower Level might also be replaced.

With talks about $20 Million in total to just to the N Line, it no wonder MT's President, Nicholette Casey was reluctlant on moving forward with the plans. In a statement to TMC she stated "It's money I personally wish not to spend but have to. Right now the trolley system need new tracks and wires, there's a lot of work to be done on Trees Avenue and Casey Blvd's S2 station needs to be rebuilt. Crossings were the last thing on my mind. That was until I was shown the stats, people ARE dying at these crossings." Since 2011, 14 people alone were struck along the N corridor though only 6 of them were fatal. Most recently, a trolley pinned a car into a wire pole after it tried to beat the trolley at Savanna Street's crossing in the Katelinn section of Metropolis. 5 of the 6 fatal accidents in the past 4 years have been at this crossing because of the higher speeds the N trolley operates at. The speed limit prior to Savanna Street crossing was recently reduced from 45 MPH to 30 MPH in order to give trolleys more time to stop. It has not worked. 

Trees and heavy brush is blamed for Savanna St's notorious crossing. 

The current plan right now is to build a trolley bridge over Savanna Street while SW 48th & SW 49th Street crossing will be replaced by an open trench. There's even a hint of possible new station at SW 49th Street. It's been 11 years since the original SW 49th Street station was shut down due to low ridership. The population in the area has gone up, but even so as of right now Metropolis Transit and B.DoT are more focused on just removing the crossings, not adding new stations. Work on these crossing is expected to be completed by 2017 if chosen by November by the City Board. The N trolley will most likely be bussed during the construction of the new bridge and trenches. The 22/26 Elevated lines will most likely be uninterrupted by their construction.

Metropolis Connector Red Loop & CERT Set To Begin August 4th Admit Delays

Christine County, BR. July 26th, 2014.

Vintage Philadelphia Trolley On the new Metropolis Connector Tracks at House Park.

The Metropolis Connector Red Loop & the SPL-BRT now named C.E.R.T. has been delayed quietly from it's July 20th opening date because of "lack of branding" for the vehicles that will use each line. Delays in decals for Metropolis Connector and the now named Christine Expressway Rapid Transit or C.E.R.T. line have set both projects back two weeks. The delays also cascaded onto training scheduled for each line so operators need to be trained on both lines for the next two weeks. Other changes to fleet is the PCC cars that will be used for Red Loop. Instead of borrowing 5 of the 77 Rebuilt PCCs from Metropolis Transit, they will use museum quality Restored PCC cars from the Geneva Height Museum. This includes 4 PCC cars from Philadelphia, PA and one restored Metropolis Surface car.

DashTransit's CERT Branded bused. 

Word To The Wise: Pay Your Fare!

Metropolis, BR. July 18th 2014

Metropolis Transit's fare table. 

Recently, ridership levels are at it's highest on certain lines but that doesn't come with it's share of troubles. More people are trying to get free ride on some of the buses and trolleys in Metropolis and it has the Metropolis Transit Police Department busy. Police Chief, Jane Bloor pointed out that people are not buying tickets at the trolley stops and when the fare inspectors step on board almost 80% of the time they're caught. The question to ask is, what about that other 20%? "They're taking advantage of system," she says, "They're riding for free and it's costing the system money." Since May, Metropolis Transit has hired more Fare Inspector Officers to ride trolleys and inspect fares yet somehow the numbers are still not adding. It's not just trolleys either, Bloor blames the spike in joyrides on people walking in the back door of a bus to avoid paying the fare in front of the driver and with two backdoors on each bendable bus, the problem can double.

MTPD is figuring out ways to combat the problem of back door riders by using plain clothed policemen. The budget for hiring new officers is almost completely exercised. This also dashed hopes for a commercial that will warn of the consequences for not paying the fare. Luckly, Metropolis Transit will provide some money to roll out campaign tentatively named, "Don't You Dare! Pay Your Fare!" The campaign is set to roll out in mid August. No further details have been released.

Certain Service Cuts To Metropolis Transit Will Take Effect

Metropolis, BR July 16, 2014.

Route 82 Will Reduce Service to Waves-Meadow starting Septemeber.

Riders will notice a change soon in certain bus & trolley routes around Metropolis. Less service and renaming certain routes will take effect in September in order to help bring more service to areas that need it. Limited resources and the delayed Siemens S70 order is not turning to well with people who rely on the service in certain areas. Also, ridership is dropping on certain lines while others are gaining riders and the amount of service needs to reduced in one are to serve another. Currently certain lines faces service gaps up to 45 Minutes to an hour due to not enough equipment being available. Schedules will be adjusted to go along with the changes.

Certains will increase in service while others will decrease. No full line cuts.

Lines to be affected:

Route 32F: To be renamed the 32 Express

Route 36: Service will run every 20 Minutes instead of 10 during Midday & Evenings.

Route 48: Sunday service will be eliminated due to low ridership. Riders urged to take D1 Dark Bus to Rt 47 Elevated. Monday to Saturday service remains unaffected. 

Route 52G: To be renamed Route G. 

Route 58: Sunday service will end at Christine Mallplex instead of Woodbridge-Eastwick. Monday to Saturday service remains unaffected.

Route 59: Service will run every 30 Minutes instead of every 15 on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Route 63Q: To be renamed the 63 Express. Service will run every 20 minutes instead of ever 15 on Saturdays & Sundays. 

Route 74A: To be renamed the 74 Express

Route 82: Service to Waves-Meadow will be eliminated on Middays. Only Rush hour trolleys will goes to Waves. Riders urged to take Rt 43 to Bay of Silence. 

Route 94: Service to JGSU Bus Center will run every 20 minutes instead of every 15 during Saturday, Sundays & Late Nights. 

Route D: Service to Greta-Ballerman will be eliminated on Saturday & Sundays due to low ridership. Riders urge to take Rt 47 Elevated. 

Kawasaki To Ironically Rebuild Aging Kawasaki Trolley Fleet

Metropolis, BR. July 14th 2014.

Kawasaki will rebuild trolley they previous made themselves.

In a bit of a laughing irony, Kawasaki Heavy Industries has won the contract to rebuild Metropolis's aging trolley fleet that they had previously built themselves in the 1980s. Favoritism was not factor though in this case, they just happen to be the cheapest guys who can do the job. In a two month bidding period they proposed to rebuild the 155 Trolley Cars at $3.9 Million a piece which may seem a tad pricey but quiet cheap compared to others who bid on the contract. Kawasaki was lowest bidder among Siemens, CAF and FERB. The rebuilding will commence starting the end of 2014 and will continue until 2019 the earliest. The long period of time is due to the fact that only 5 to 10 trolley will be sent out at a time in order to not make the system go into fleet shortage. At the same time, the Siemens trolley cars will be continuing their delivery so their might be a balance to work with.

Kawasaki Trolley on the Rt 82 Line. 

Metropolis Transit's rebuilt trolley will feature new motors, new brakes that reuse and restore the energy it uses, faster speeds, upgraded LED signs, upgraded paint scheme, and updated windows and doors. This will also remove the trolley pole that is currently uses to collect power and upgrade to pantograph power collectors for more reliable service. The incandescent lights in the car will be replaced with LED as well and upgraded wall colors. The first upgraded trolley is set to hit rails March 2015. The upgraded trolley will last until 2025.

Flood Waters Shut Down The Broadway Trolley Subway On July 3rd

Metropolis, BR. July 4th 2014.

Flood Waters oversweep the Trolley Subway at Greta Way Portal on the night of July 3rd.

A wild line of thunderstorms trained over Metropolis dumping roughly 10.2 inches of rain water in matter of three hours. The downpours causes flash flooding around Metropolis's low laying areas including the entrances into the Broadway Trolley subway. At Greta Way Portal just west of Nevins Station had water piled up to 2 full feet of water that rushed down the Greta Way ramps and ponded onto the lower level of Greta-Broadway station (the lowest point of the tunnel). Trolley service through the tunnel was completely suspended starting at 10:02 PM last night after passengers fled Nevins & Greta stations when the surge of water came rushing in. Nobody was hurt last night in the flood waters.

No trolleys were in the tunnel other than a 5 trolley that was at it's loop underground and out of harms way. The water is rain water, so corrosion isn't a worry though some signals were damaged by the flood waters resulting in a overnight closure of the tunnel. The tunnel reopened at 5 AM but with delays and cancellations including Routing the 7 Line though 35th Street & Lindsay due to out signals. Nevins Station remains closed at this time. The 43 is extended to Morrisville because of the ramp closure. The Greta Way Portal will reopen later on today or tomorrow depending on when repair will be finished. Not the best way to celebrate the 4 of the July, that for sure.

Metropolis Connector To Begin July 4th, SPL BRT To Begin July 20th

Metropolis, BR

Metropolis Connector's Trolley on Display At The Interfair During The Auto Show.

DashTransit Service has a lot for the Metropolis Commuter to be happy about this summer. Fast new bus service directly from Metropolis to South Portland Airport and the upgraded 61 line now known as Metropolis Connector are set to begin really soon and contract positions are filling. July 4th is currently the aim for Metropolis Connector, July 20th for SPL. All in all both line expected to be in service by end of the July month.

New BRT service will start from Bay of Silence Bus Terminal.

Bus Rapid Transit? Try Trolley Rapid Transit for Metropolis Connector

Metropolis, BR. June 27th 204

Metropolis Connector will be the US's first ever Trolley Rapid Transit Line (TRT)

The 61's haphazard path around Metropolis Island has always seem to be a faster way to tour the city then taking normal trolley lines or even just the 65 elevated who just about covers most of the island but at the same time it needs improvement. Metropolis Transit and DashTransit Service as well as The State of Bridgerissa are coming together this summer to bring faster and more reliable service to the 61 Line in the form of Metropolis Connector.

It has been outline headways will increase as well service hours and branch to House Park. That's only the surface. Among bringing 15 Min service to off-peak hours, and increasing rush hour service to every 6 minutes, there are also more changes to come.

Rebuilt as of 2010-2011, PCC Trolley will run on the Metropolis Connector.

• Renaming both directions of the 61 to recognizable colors. 61 Blue Loop runs Counter-Clockwise, 61 Light Blue Loop will run Clockwise. 61 Red Loop will run to House Park via Ballerman Blvd.
• 61 Red Loop will run only Fridays,Saturdays,Sundays & Major Holidays Only. 15 minute headways all times. 
• New Automatic Announcements that will call out sights instead of street corners. Transfers will still be announced. 
• All new equipment. Either a brand new Siemens S70 Trolley or a 2011 Rebuilt PCC Trolley. 
• Cleaner environment that will be maintained by DashTransit Service

Metropolis Transit proudly calls it a Trolley Rapid Transit Line. Why? It stops farther apart the normal trolleys and will only stop near landmarks. It will bring people off the crowded 65 elevated which is running full trains almost at all times. It will run like water during rush hour. It will move and attract more tourist to ditch cabs and ride the trolley. Furthermore, it will connect all of the attractions Metropolis has to offer in one convenient ride.

Route 61 To Be Renamed, The Metropolis Connector.

Route 61 Trolley at Sandbar Street

Metropolis, BR. May 19th 2014.

DashTransit Service and Metropolis Transit has announced the official name of the upgraded Route 61 to "The Metropolis Connector" which will bring 15 minute headways to all trolleys. Also in a curve ball move, Metropolis Transit announced there will be a branch line that will go to House Park using the former 47 tracks on Ballerman Blvd. This will bring back trolley service to Ballerman Bl during Fridays, Saturdays & Sunday to serve the Berkey Kola Museum, Museum of Metropolis Art, and Stallion Park.

The service will be split into 3. Inner Loop 61 trolleys will be renamed Blue Loop, Outer 61s the Light Blue Loop and the reactivated 47 trolley line the Red Loop. The Blue & Light Blue Loops will run 7 days a week stating 6 AM to 11:30 PM at 15 Minute intervals all day while the Red Loop will run only Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9 AM to 6:30 PM also at 15 minute intervals. During rush hour and peak-Saturday hours, some Blue Loop trolleys can short-turn and become Light Blue Loop Trolleys at Waves-Bl of Bays if bunching occurs.

More Details To Come...

Metropolis Transit & DTS Talk Changes To 61 Trolley

Metropolis, BR. May 1st 2014.

One of Metropolis Transit's newest trolley cars on the 61 City Circle Line

Joint contracts with Metropolis Transit never seem to work out in their favor. Since the joint Boga IBOA contract in the 70s to the DeMott Tower Shuttle (since been discontinued) of the late 90s, most joint contract operations came to abrupt and disappointing ends but it is stopping the company to try again. Last year the 61 trolley returned to service after being shut down for a year during the repaving and rebuilding of Sandbar & Central Aves that the 61 trolley runs on. Metropolis Transit currently runs the 61 line with 30 minute headways outside of rush hour which are frankly ticking off the tourist who rely on the trolley to sight-see since the Deck Bus Company and Purple Lines went out of business in 2009. Today Metropolis Transit announced upgrades to both the 61 schedule and branding which will include splicing ownership of the line with DashTransit Service (DTS).

Siemens trolley passing FOSAL Park. 

Preliminary named "The Downtowner" the 61 trolley could either lose it's 61 name completely or be known as two separate loops that will operate just as the 61 does today but running on it's own fare system, rules, and appearance. The 61 trolley's headways will be improved as the service will no longer be operated by TWU 269 but instead will use contracted operators from DTS who will be thoroughly trained on the trolleys. Metropolis Transit said, it will be painted differently then a normal trolley, possibly using a combination of Metropolis's and DTS's schemes or an all-together new one. Fare will begin at a dollar, with transfer to other lines being charged a full $2 with the $1 fare. Service is set to begin Memorial Day. The Downtower name is subject to change.

Proposal For Trees Avenue Subway Met With Criticism

Metropolis, BR. April 30th 2013.

Current Terminal For El Routes 22 & 26 in Blue Beach.

Metropolis Transit has express the need to build a subway tunnel under Trees Avenue to bring the 22 & 26 "Elevated" Railway lines in Downtown Metropolis. Currently, both train lines end at the makeshift Blue Beach Terminal. Built in 1983 and renovated in 2009, the terminal sit on what use to be the westbound lanes of Waves Avenue. The traffic current only goes east and north up what it now called Lover's Circle. Residents from Boga Island & visitors of Lover's Lookout current have to transfer to either a 65 el train or a 36 bus if they want to go into the city. The proposed tunnel to Metropolis Central would eliminate the need to transfer and walk up stairs and gives passengers a one-seat ride into Downtown.

67 Trolley Service maybe disrupted if tunnels are built.

Midtown Realtors and residents are voicing their concerns about potential tunnel building being a problem. If anybody remembers the Broadway Trolley Subway, many businesses closed due to lack to access to stores from Cut & Cover construction.  There is worry that property value would also shoot down during the construction.  The tunnel would have a station at Sandbar Street, an area of high density buildings. This would bring construction to the delay prone Central Station where the terminal of tunnel will be until a terminal outside of Isle Glass Tower will be built for the 22 & 26.
This battle might delay construction that is set to being later this year.  

This Upcoming Weekend's Trolley Service Changes, Old Garden Curve Construction

Metropolis, BR. April 28th.

A Messy Commute Is Ahead For Next Weekend

The curve outside of Old Gardens-Eastwick Station on the Trees Avenue Trolley Elevated has been prompting a slow zone along the 7,16 & 56 trolley lines. The construction planned for this weekend will hell "ease" the curve and allow a fast swing around. This will bring the speeds up from 10 to 15 miles-per-hour. Though a slight jump in the speed, it still enough to help ease faster operation. This work will continue each weekend until June when the new curve is expected to open. The 67 is not affect this week by the service change but will be during the follow weeks.

The service changes are:
Route 7- Rerouted via Corlesen Avenue to Waves-Meadow Loop stopping at all 67 stops after the trolley subway.

Route 16- All trolleys will be cut at Broadway-Parkside Stn on the Upper Level. Passengers will have to go to the Lower Level to catch the 7 or 56 trolleys to Exhibition Hall.

Route 56- Rerouted via Central Avenue and Metropolis Central Stn. to Broadway Stn. Trolleys will end at normal end points. All Isle Glass Tower Loop cutbacks will be extended to Verizon Tower Loop for the weekend.

Be alert to where your trolley is going this weekend!

Brand New Trolleys Are Now "Subway" Certified.

Metropolis, BR. April 24th 2014.

A Newly "Subway Certified" Trolley Passes FOSAL Park On A Test Run.

It's been over a year since the first three section low floor trolley cars from Siemens came and now their are 17 of them in service for the 21, 56, 61 & 67 Lines. All of those lines are slow running surface line who doesn't need to see hi-speeds due to their openness to traffic, but Metropolis Transit General Manager, Nicholette Casey says the cars cost way too much to stay confined to the slow moving Westside and Downtown routes. The biggest problem was the face that they could not exceed 32 MPH because of the small wheels and weak motors the trolleys were delivered with cannot handle higher speed. A similar problem also hit the Siemens built P2000 cars that current run on the S2 Westside Line.

The fleet was recently taken out of service completely over the weekend to be retrofitted with a brand new T-3 traction motor and larger 24 inch wheel as opposed to the 21 inch wheels the trolleys carry now. The larger motor and wheels does not affect the ride height so the wheelchair ramp can pop out in the same record-breaking 33 seconds as before. The passengers push-to-open door control have also been fixed so that during high-volume periods the operator can open all doors. Originally the only way the door opened were by passenger pressing the button even in high-volume periods. Being the first trolley in the fleet that can do that, alot of passengers and tourist were unaware of how the trolley works. Metropolis in the future is looking to completely phase out the push-to-open concept citing the experiment is failing miserably.

"Subway Certified" Siemens Trolley enter the Trolley Subway. 

These cars are now certified to run at speeds of 55 MPH, which keeps to current code of all other trolleys in the system. They also now have chopper control on the engines to allow smoother stopping and less wear on the brakes. This means trolley will be able to stop from 55 MPH to 0 in a space of only 100 feet! The new certified trolley will soon be reassigned to other routes around the city and once the entire order in completed in 2015, the German Duwag trolleys will retired completely.

More Weekend Work To Come Following Last Weekend's Mess

Metropolis, BR. April 22 2014.

Instead of shuttle bussing, a trolley was used.

Last weekend, Metropolis Transit's Route 39 & 47 elevated lines were affected by overhead wire work in the area of Sunflower Park. When this happen twice in 2013, the 39 was completely suspended and shuttle bused.  However this time around, the 39 was kept running in a continuous clockwise loop around downtown with a shuttle trolley picking up passengers at Isle Glass Tower and taking them to Exhibition Hall via Rt 66 and Rt 21 tracks. The shuttles were never scheduled properly and missed connections ticked off riders and operators of the 39 line. Meanwhile, the 47 was rerouted to Exhibition Hall without a hitch. Passengers were upset that they had to board another bus and trolley to get to FOSAL Park but the connections seemed to be better timed then the fiasco on the 39.

Reliving 2011-2012 in elevated form, the 47 was rerouted to Exhibition Hall.

 Unlike the crazy experiment performed on the 39, the 47 going to Exhibition Hall isn't new. During the elevated railway construction that converted the 47 trolley to the elevated line, trolleys were rerouted to Exhibition Hall because FOSAL Park elevated station's construction destroyed the loop that was there for Rts 43 & 47 and a station house was built in the right-of-way at Waves Avenue.  Of course this time around it's an elevated running on Rt 39 tracks and stopping at it's stations.

A Rt 47 Train at the recently rebuilt Freed Springs station. A 39 Line station. 

More weekend work is expected later on as the warmer months come and the system recovers from a rather brutal winter. May 3-4th will see closures of the Woodland Subway's Express Service, and the Route 26 Line from Boga Bay to Boga Island prompting a Ferry shuttle. May 10-11th will spell week 1 of the Old Gardens curve reconstruction. Many trolley lines will be affected. May 17-18th will see the same trolley closures.  The construction of the curve is expected to completely suspend service for the Memorial Day weekend.